


Year Of Power

by Texeoghea



Series: Parental Guidance Needed [2]
Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Klarion (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Blue Speedsters, F/F, M/M, Multi, Speedsters Bonding, Team Bonding, excuse me while i merge four different canons together for Maximum Story Ability, i can't believe it took me a whole fucking fic to get to the part where riley gets powers, in which i use an oc to low-key call out superheroes and their world views, klarion is a very troublesome child and gets into a lot of trouble that he can't get out of, mentions of csa, nothing graphic but it is directly referenced, so if you have a problem with that please skip the parts I've marked with this in them, somebody help these poor idiots, speedsters, the team will be featured more in chapters 3 and beyond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-02-19 22:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13133286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Texeoghea/pseuds/Texeoghea
Summary: Riley gets into a rather extreme accident and his life suddenly gets a lot faster, but perhaps it's not all bad, and maybe his new friends can help.





	1. Prologue: New Years

**Author's Note:**

> Year Two of Riley's shit adventures.
> 
> There is indeed a year time skip between the last fic and this one, but don't worry, all the important stuff will be explained in time.

**Prologue: New Years**

  _January 1st, 12:01 AM_

 

“Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?” Riley asked as he buckled the seatbelt in over his body. “Yeah, man, I’ve driven one of these before,” Klarion says easily, turning the key to the car. The engine purred to life, and Klarion grinned. “Wasn’t that the hot rod that you crashed into a brick wall?” Riley asks, voice growing higher. “The one you stole from Beelzebub?” Klarion waved his hand. “Details. You buckled in?” Riley nods. “Alright, hold on,” He grins, putting the car in drive and pushing down on the gas.  
The car shoots forwards out of the junkyard, Klarion whooping and Riley screaming at the speed. “Oh-mah-god-we’re-gonna-die,” He yells, gripping the panic bar for dear life. “I thought you hated fast things!”  
“Cars don’t count when I’m driving, little brother,” Klarion laughs over the roar of the engine as they speed down the road. “When I’m in control, the only thing I feel is exhilaration!”

 They got pulled over by Batgirl a few blocks down.

 “Hey, Batgirl,” Klarion greets easily, climbing out of the wreckage of the hotrod. Riley had been pulled out by the girl as she swung by and nailed the rear tires with batarangs, causing it to swerve away from traffic and into an abandoned building. Stephanie Brown crosses her arms. “Klarion Bleak, I thought you knew better than to magically soup up a car and go joyriding on New Years,” She scolded. “...Without me.” Klarion grinned wider. “If you wanted to come along, you could’ve asked!”  
“How? How could I possibly have asked? I didn’t know what you were even doing until I saw that car, you know.” Klarion shrugged and grinned. “So, anyways, just hand over my little brother, and we’ll be on our way!” Stephanie raised an eyebrow. “Klarion, you are not getting away with joyriding through the city in a stolen car just like that. I have to at least try to take you in.” Klarion sighed. “Yeah, I thought so.” He blocks her first attempt to cuff him and jumps back onto the car. “Catch me if you can, Batgirl!” He calls loudly, before flying away. Batgirl ziplines after him, leaving Riley standing there. “Okay, guess i’ll just… go get ice cream.” He pulls out his phone and texts Bart and Tim.  
Klarion laughs giddily as another explosive whizzes past him and into the sky, exploding harmlessly. “Your aim is getting worse! Do you need glasses or something?” He taunts. “I’ll have you know i’m getting my eyes checked on Tuesday!” Stephanie shouts back, shooting up to kick him. Klarion backflips mid-air to avoid it, giving a mock-salute upside-down as Stephanie flies past. “You’ve gotten better at your tricks,” Stephanie observes as she shoots another line and swings up to a neighboring roof. “Gotta keep you on your toes, don’t I?” Klarion smiles.

 --------------------------------------------------

 “I can’t believe your brother ditched you to go flirt with Batgirl,” Bart said incredulously. “Right? What the fuck?” Riley says, sipping his milkshake. “Look, there they are, flying around like idiots… hey, how come you’re awake so early, anyways?” He tilts his head. Tim shrugged. “We could ask you the same question.” Riley stared for a moment before laughing. “Yeah, I guess so, but I ain’t got nothin’ to hide. I’m out here because Klarion thought it’d be fun for us to go out and do dumb shit at midnight on new year’s, simple as that.” He leans forwards. “So, why’re you?” Tim stares at him for a moment. “Maybe i’ve got something to hide,” He says. Riley nods. “Aight, mystery man, suit yourself. How about you, Bart?” Bart shrugged. “Meh, couldn’t sleep.” Riley nods again, raising his eyebrows. “Wanna go see if we can’t mess with those two in the sky somehow?” Tim suggests, and he, Bart, and Riley turn to the window. The sky was blank, no flying figures or explosions in sight. “Huh, or maybe not.”

 -------------------------------------------------

 “Steph, I am really not the one to go to for feelings. If you’ve got a crush on this girl, I say go for it,” Klarion says, donut in one hand and a small cup of water in the other. Teekl laps from the cup as Stephanie sighed dramatically, flopping back on the roof they were sitting on. “Ugh, I don’t know! It can’t be that easy!” Klarion shrugs and bites into his treat. “Why not? If she says no, blow it off like it wasn’t a big deal, and if she says yes, then wow, you’ve got a date! Hooray for you! It’s simple.” Stephanie gave him an unimpressed look. “And how many girlfriends have you had a long, impactful relationship with, Klarion Bleak?” Klarion stares into the distance. A noir theme plays from somewhere on the streets below as he casts his gaze over the city. “One,” he said, in a voice that promised a long, juicy, painful story, perhaps better left unsaid. Rain begins to patter gently around him and a breeze billows past. Stephanie stares at him for a long moment.  
The scene is soon broken by Steph’s radio picking up a police line and sirens wailing in the distance. “Back into the fray,” She says, hopping up and grinning, shooting a zipline towards the noise. “Same time next week?” Klarion grins back at her, giving a thumbs-up. “You know it. Oh! And happy new year, Batgirl!” He calls after her as she swings away. “Happy new year!” She shouts boisterously, for all the city to hear.

Happy new year, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ha you THOUGHT klarion and stephanie were dating
> 
> also I'm using stephanie as batgirl but this is the tim from young justice in case you were confused


	2. Episode 1: Happy Birthday, Speedster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Riley's birthday. What's the world's gift to him? Getting struck by lightning, of course!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way longer than expected and i apologize but i don't have school tomorrow because finals schedule so i finally finished this! I tried to make it a little longer to make up for the lost time, but I think the last chapter of YOB is the longest chapter i've ever written. But anyways, enjoy!

**Episode 1: Happy Birthday, Speedster**

_October 14th, the same year._

 

“Happy birthday, Riley,” Riley whispered to himself, standing nervously in the house. “You can do it. It’s your friends. Just go out there and talk to them, you can do it, you got this,” He said, psyching himself up. Outside sat his dads, Klarion, and his friends, including Violet, Finn, and Annabelle from school, along with Tim, Bart, Jamie, and an older girl visiting Bart, Artemis. They were probably waiting at the table with the food and sweets and everything, waiting for him. The party was for him. Riley still couldn’t understand that fully. He had never been important enough do deserve a party- he was the d- son- of a country bumpkin who had moved to the city to get rich, forgetting about his kid in the process. Riley never got a lot in his life, it was strange to have something now.

 

Riley had never figured out who his mystery costume from last year was from, but it had left his mind. In a world with magical bullshit around every corner, he was just glad it was a good present. He leaned his head back against the door, listening to the thunder in the distance. The storm shouldn’t reach the city, but it was a nice, calming ambience. Klarion hated the thunder, but Riley thought it was calming, even invigorating at times. The lightning made him feel good about himself. He couldn’t explain why.

 

Finally, he took one more deep breath and walked outside, to the cheers of his friends. “Hey, Riley! Hurry, the storm looks like it might be going against the forecast,” Violet laughed, pulling him to the table. “I wouldn’t mind,” Riley smiled at the clouds. “Well, maybe you won’t, but I will!” She pulls him to the benches they’ve set up under a tarp (in case of rain), where everyone sat. “We’d do the whole ‘turn off the lights and surprise you’ thing, but I know you don’t like surprises, so we decided to do this instead,” Edward says softly as his son sits next to him. “Thank you, dad,” Riley whispers back, smiling widely.

 

The party is filled with laughter, food, and joy, even as the storm rumbles overhead. The party members are not deterred at all by the sound, even making jokes about it, in too light of a mood to care about the rain. Riley dances out from under the tarp into the wet, laughing and spinning. Everyone laughs with him, until Klarion’s face drops and he looks at the sky, then back to his brother. He shoots from his seat, reaching his hand out, a spell on his lips, but he’s too late. Blue lightning crashes from the sky, thunder deafening, striking down right onto the boy standing in the rain.

 

The world is silent for a moment after before Riley screams in pain, and everyone stands and rushes to him. The rain stops, and as the people gather around the boy, they start to see something strange. Electricity sparks from him in large arcs, causing them to stay a safe distance away. Klarion ignores it, running right up to him and kneeling. “Riley? Are you alright? Can you hear me?” He says urgently, but the teen seems unresponsive. Amazingly, he’s conscious, staring down at his hands. He looks up at Klarion, blue streaks of electricity dancing inside his eyes, and Klarion knew what had happened. “I feel so… alive,” Riley says slowly. He looks back at his shaking hands. Klarion reaches for them, but yelps loudly and yanks his hand away when he receives a static shock. “Ouch! What was that for?” He asks, indignant, as Riley, of all things, begins to laugh at him. “Why- How- Why are you laughing? You just got struck by lightning! You could have died!” Klarion cries. Everyone else seems to snap out of it, and Bart is the first one to step forwards. “I think something super crash just happened, but I have to make sure.” He says seriously, before speaking so fast none of the group can understand him.

 

Except Riley is looking at him like he knew what he said, and responds just as quickly, if not quicker. Bart cheers and leaps into the air before turning to the rest of the group, who seem lost. “We’ve got another speedster for the team!”

 

\--

 

“I’ll be the first to admit,” Riley says awkwardly. “This is not the birthday present from the Gods I was expecting.” He sat in the Bioship with Bart, Tim, and Jamie, who had called M’gann and brought Riley to an undisclosed alleyway, cutting the party short but promising to return him for a continuation once they made sure he was stable. Bart laughs at this, but looks at him with empathy. “Yeah, I know how you feel. Don’t worry, we won’t be keeping you here for long.” Riley nodded. “Why couldn’t we bring Klarion along with us?” The four young Leaguers’ faces dropped, all at once. “You didn’t know?” Tim asked quietly. Bart responds, louder. “Klarion’s a part of this evil group called the Light, they want to take over the world and use it for evil.” Riley stares at him for a moment. “I’ve got two problems with that,” He says. “One, that’s a horrible plan, there’s probably more to it than that, and if you knew the plan in detail you’d be better prepared to stop it. Second,” He says, and his brows furrow. “I’m pretty sure Klarion isn’t the ‘take over the world’ kind of guy. He’s more the ‘set all the zoo animals free and see what happens’ kind of guy. Chaotic, sure, but not evil.”

 

Tim scoffed. “Well, whatever his reasoning, he’s _working_ for the bad guys, so he _is_ a bad guy. You can’t look at everything in a million shades of grey when you’re defending the world, Riley. First lesson: you have to look at the bigger picture. What’s best for humanity as a whole? Once you can decide that you can break it down into smaller areas, but overall you have to think of what would best help our planet thrive.” Riley made a mocking scoff back. “The best thing for our planet? At this point, it’s wiping out human life so we can stop polluting and destroying the environment, except we’ve caused the wildlife to grow accustomed and in some cases dependent on us, and if we left we’d set the ecosystems off balance anyways, so we’re just playing the waiting game until the world, one way or another, finally crashes and burns, because we just can’t learn from our mistakes. But you don’t see any of you _heroes_ talking about that, do you?”

 

It was at this moment that the four teammates realized that they were not dealing with an easy recruit.

 

 **He’s got a point,** M’gann thought wearily to the three boys in the ship. **It doesn’t matter. We can’t have him going all easy on the light because of his big brother,** Tim huffed. **They’re the bad guys and they’re killing and brainwashing people to get what they want. If his brother is involved, it isn’t our fault.** Jamie sighed. **I don’t know- I mean, if he’s right, why don’t we try to recruit Klarion to our side? I mean, he’s super strong-** “Are you kidding me?” Tim cried, accidentally speaking out loud. Riley, who had been watching the four of them, narrowed his eyes. “Ah, the famous martian mind-link. Let me guess, you were talking about me.” Bart glanced at him. “Not in a bad way like you’re thinking. We’re trying to decide who would be best to train you, and how to see what your strong and weak points are.” M’gann sighed sadly. “Kaldur’ahm was the best at training, but…” She trailed off.

 

From the team’s wistful, sad expression, Riley got the feeling there was a lot more to Aqualad’s disappearance than he first heard of.

 

And with that, they arrived at the base. “Y’all live on a mountain?” Riley said, unimpressed. Tim smiled for the first time since they picked Riley up. “Oh, just you wait.” A few moments later, and Riley was inside the hangar. “Okay, so you guys live _inside_ a mountain? That’s way cooler. Whoa, what’s that?” He turns, distracted by one of the holograms standing in the corner. Instead of running at his normal speed, however, he finds himself very suddenly embedded in the rock wall. He steps back and falls, disoriented. “Oh yeah, you might not want to run for a little while until your body gets used to your new speed. You can get real motion sick,” Bart says, walking up to him. But Riley hops right back up, grinning wildly, and turns, running again. This time, the blue streak was more coordinated, speeding about the hangar before skidding to a stop in front of Bart and tripping. Bart looked on in awe. “Wow, blue lightning! I haven’t seen that since… well, since ever. We’ve gotta tell Flash about this one!” Riley sits up. “Flash? Wait.” He stands in a blur of color. “I get to talk to _Flash?_ Myfavoritesuperherointheworld?” Bart grins. “Oh yeah. Who better to train the new speedster than the fastest man alive, right? I’m sure you’ll do great, he’s really laid-back and stuff.” Riley feels like he’s vibrating with excitement, then looks down and finds he actually is. He yelps at this and the vibration stops, but Bart laughs. “You’ll get used to that, too. Happens a lot, it helps burn off excess energy so we don’t get cabin fever whenever we’re indoors. You’ll learn to keep it low, though.” M’gann soars past them, joining Jamie and Tim where they stand by the door. “Come on, you two!” Jamie calls. “Let’s let Riley meet the rest of the team!”

 

Overall, not the worst birthday present Riley had ever gotten.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley has some trouble controlling his power, so he calls his brother. Everything, as expected, goes horribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, a warning for the last paragraph and the next chapter, if you have problems or trauma regarding CSA, i heavily suggest you not read that. If needed, I can supply a summary of the story during these parts for anyone who wants to follow along but doesn't want to read it. If you have trouble with this topic, I am not forcing you to read. Do what's safest.
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, enjoy!

“Riley! Are you okay?” Bart yelps as Riley, once again, slams into a wall at full speed. He falls limply backwards, clutching his nose. “Ow, ow, ow,” he whimpers as blood gushes out. “Come on, this is the third time today! Doesn’t the pain at least get easier to deal with?” He whines. Bart laughs a little. “Yeah, you’d think,” He says, and ignores Riley’s incredulous look. “Here, i’ll set it again,” Barry says, crouching in front of the boy. “You’ve gotta get your speed under control, you can’t just sprint around willy-nilly and expect nothing to happen. You have superpowers now, you have to learn to be careful,” Barry lectured him as he set his nose. Riley yelped and jumped as it snapped back into place, whining again. “Okay, fine, with great power comes great responsibility, but like- you haven’t answered one question yet.” Riley says. “What question is that?” Barry asks pleasantly, helping the boy stand up and wiping his face. “Why did you seem so scared when I said my lighting is blue?”

Barry was very still for a moment. “It doesn’t matter now, it just shocked me a little, is all,” He assures, smiling brightly. “Blue speedsters are often faster than yellow or red ones, but they exhaust themselves a lot quicker, so you need to be careful.” Riley nodded. “Okay,” He says, standing up. He wiggled his nose and found that it didn’t sting at all, and wiped the rest of the blood away. “So, do I get a cool costume at some point, or what?” Barry and Bart laugh.

\--

“Yeah, i’m fine,” Riley says shakily, reaching out to Miss Martian for help. “I’m just, uh, about 20 feet off the ground and stuck in a wall.” The boy on the other end of the phone was silent for a long moment. “Literally how,” Klarion deadpans. “Okay, so I was trying to wall jump, but apparently I can phase through walls, but I got scared when I was half-way through one, and now-” Klarion stopped him. “I’ll be right there, don’t try and move, I honestly don’t know how you didn’t just get cut in half.” M’gann attempts to tug him free, and Riley screams in pain. “What did I just say?!” Klarion cries. “Don’t-don’t move, got it,” Riley whispers. “M’gann, stop, he says not to move, he’ll come help.” Riley hears the dial tone play on his phone and stares at it a moment before shrugging and letting his arm fall limp, clutching the device. “Who’s coming to help?” The girl asks, moving to sit, hovering in the air next to the unfortunate speedster. “My brother!” Riley chirps, ignoring the flashes of white-hot pain coursing through his torso and legs. As he says this, a swirling red portal opens up in front of the two, and Klarion steps gracefully out, hovering in the air. “Hi Klari!” Riley chirps, while M’gann gasps in horror. “Intruder detected,” The cave’s computer drones. “Recognized: Klarion, Lord of Chaos. Initiating phase 3 defense mechanisms.” Klarion swears in a language Riley had never heard. “Alright for future reference if you’re in the fucking Justice League headquarters when you call for my help please tell me,” He says quickly and reaches out, hands glowing. M’gann kicks him in the face, sending him flying back. Turrets rise out of the wall, including right next to where Riley was stuck, aiming for the boy on the ground. “Stop!” Riley shrieked, but the computer did not listen. The lazers opened fire on Klarion, who screeched inhumanly at the pain. “M’gann, you have to help him! Please!” Riley sobbed. Klarion’s screams echoed through the large training room, reaching down the hallways. Bart zoomed in on the scene and gasped, but was further shocked when he saw Riley.

The boy was vibrating through the wall.

Riley took deep breaths and focused on escaping his metal prison, feeling for the air around him, imagining it pushing him out, pressing his palms on the cool metal of the wall and pushing as hard as he could. After a moment, he fell out of the wall, slamming into the ground. It didn’t appear that he even felt the hard impact, as he stood immediately and became a blue blur, rushing to Klarion and pulling him out of the turrets’ fire. “Stop it!” Riley screams at the guns, lighting arcing off of him. The guns turned to him, focusing on his brother in his arms. Klarion panted from the pain and tried to sit up, failing. “Riley, it’s okay,” He says shakily, but Riley doesn’t hear. “Riley, calm down,” Bart says seriously. Electricity was building around the boy, draining from the turrets in the wall, the lights on the ceiling, and the sensors on the training pads. It all arced and flashed around him, gaining a bright cobalt glow. The power of the room flickered before shutting off completely, leaving only the emergency lights in the ceiling. “Leave him alone,” Riley growls.

M’gann floats slowly forwards, but is interrupted by the rest of the team charging in. “What’s going on?” Connor roars. Garfield bounds in, Jamie right on his heels in full beetle armor, followed by Bumble Bee, L’gann, Wonder Girl, Zatanna, Nightwing and Robin. They slide to a stop at the doorway, watching in awe as the lighting creates a large, swirling shield of pure electricity around Riley, not harming he or Klarion at all. “Riley, he’s a villain, you have to let go so we can contain him,” M’gann tries, but Riley simply screeches in fury. Bolts of electricity arc dangerously close to her from the shield, and Nightwing presses his fingers to his radio. “Batman?” He says, voice low. “We have a problem.”

Bart, stupidly brave, takes a few steps forwards, only to dash back when the lighting attempts to strike him. “Okay, I know you’re mad, but you have to listen to us!” He cries. “That guy is dangerous! He’s killed thousands of people and injured many more, including us!” Riley shakes his head. “He’s only 16,” He says. “If he was so dangerous, how come none of you tried to help him?” Klarion blinks and weakly pushes away. Riley lets him down, standing. “If he’s so dangerous, why not try to teach him how to use his powers for good?” Riley’s voice was louder now. “Instead of attacking everything you view as a threat, why don’t you take the time to understand it? It could be a friend, a living creature, something sentient and feeling, just like you.” He lifts his head, and the shield curves in on him, the lightning now arcing around his body and zapping the walls and floor around him like a Tesla coil. “You heroes are all the same,” He says, his tone that of a child who’s learned his childhood hero wasn’t really perfect. “Instead of helping the hurt, like you always promise to do, you favor the normal, you crave the acceptance of a society that tried to cast you out and hurt you before it relied on you for safety.” Riley shakes his head. “All your villains are just as hurt as you are. Why don’t you ever think to try and help them?” Riley’s hands fist at his sides, and the lightning crackles dangerously. “It’s so disappointing to hear such amazing people be so hypocritical.”

Klarion, along with the rest of the team, stare in amazement at Riley and his speech. “All Klarion wanted to do was help me get out of that wall, and instead of asking why he was here, you just- just let him get shot with deadly lasers that came out of the wall!” Riley screamed. “What kind of heroes are you?” The team all looked down at their feet in shame, except for Connor, who kept his gaze level. “And you,” Riley says, turning to him. “You should understand more than anyone else here how getting redemption feels. Yet instead of offering that chance to another person, you take out all your rage on them instead?” Riley scoffs. “I can’t believe anyone looks up to you people. You’re all just- just as bad as the people you fight.” His shoulders are shaking now, the lightning growing wild around him.

It’s at this point that Batman, the Flash, and Doctor Fate burst through the zeta tubes.

Riley whirls on them, lighting gathering around his fists, stepping backwards protectively to keep Klarion out of sight, but the older boy stands. “Riley, move, i’m fine,” He says shakily. Riley shakes his head, not taking his eyes off the three men. “Riley, I understand that you’re angry, but-” Barry is cut off. “No, i’m not going to listen to you anymore-” Riley feels a hand on his shoulder pull him back. Klarion looks sternly at him before slapping him in the face.

Riley hits the ground hard, the lightning evaporating. The whole room freezes in shock. “Your heart’s in the right place, but your brain isn’t, kid,” Klarion hisses, eyes glowing. “That was a great speech and all, sure, but they’re right. Me? Edward? Jonathan? We’re all wanted criminals.” He stands straighter, anger swirling inside him, barely contained. “We were never given the chance to be good. It’s too late to change now. Drop it.” He stares levelly at Doctor Fate. “Anyways, the reason I was called here is null and void now, since you’re out of the wall, so i’ll be leaving.” He steps backwards, a red portal flaring to life just in time to swallow him up before dissipating. The room was very quiet and still for a long time, before M’gann and Bart walked silently forwards to help Riley up.

Nobody said anything for a long time. Batman and Flash followed the team to the lounge area, while Doctor Fate looked around the drained room. Even the emergency lights flickered from low energy. “How very strange indeed,” He mused. _Whatever you’re thinking of, don’t you dare,_ Zatara growled. Kent agreed. T _he kid may be more powerful than we thought, but that doesn’t inherently make him a threat, Nabu._ The golden spirit of Order did not listen, as usual. Instead, he left to go consult the tombs in the very back of his library, ones he had not looked at in a very long time.

\--

“I’m sorry,” Riley whispers for the twelfth time. “It’s okay, Riley, you got mad and your powers went out of whack, it’s to be expected,” Nightwing encourages softly. Connor stands off in the corner, sulking, and M’gann attempted to make biscuits in the kitchen. “But- that was so mean, I don’t know where it even came from,” The boy cried quietly. Batman, who had been standing silently behind the couch, clears his throat. “You’ve been staying with the Riddler and the Scarecrow, correct, Riley?” Riley turns and nods fearfully. “From now on, you will be living here with the team until further notice. Bart will assign you to an empty dorm at a later time.” Batman turned, cape swishing, and walked out of the room. “Oh gods,” Riley whimpers. “He’s gonna kill my dads.”

_Elsewhere..._

“What are you gonna do, kill me?” Edward asks incredulously, standing from his desk. “I haven’t even done a crime in-” He pauses for a moment to think. “Two months! Maybe i’ve changed, Batman,” He scoffs angrily. Batman simply swings for his face again. Edward slides just out of reach and dances back towards his desk. “How’d you find this, place any-” the green-clad man stops. “Riley,” He says quietly. Batman freezes as well. “What did you do to my son, you evil bastard?!” Edward screams, whipping his cane out from his desk and deploying the bladed hook at the end. Batman blocked the blade with his gauntlets, and punched Edward in the ribs. “I didn’t do anything to him,” The dark knight growls. “I found him with Klarion, all the power of the training room drained and absorbed into him, giving a speech about how heroes are ‘just as evil as their villains.’ How much of this is your doing, Riddler?” Bruce fumes, barely containing his anger. Edward wheezes, confused through the pain. “H-he said that? Riley said that?” He asks quietly. “I never told him any of that. I don’t- don’t even believe it myself,” His voice is almost a whisper. Bruce slows from where he stood, hand ready over the handcuffs on his belt. “You- what?” He says, shocked. Edward laughs bitterly from the floor. “I guess he ended up like us after all.”

\--

Klarion slips quietly into the dark base of the Light, scoffing at the irony of his surroundings. All he had to do was sneak past Savage and into his room, and he’d be safe-

A low, gravelly voice rings out, and Klarion freezes in fear. “Where, exactly, have you been, pet?” Vandal Savage asks with a false nonchalant air, and Klarion’s heart beats twice as fast. “N-nowhere, sir, just helping my brother with his n-” Savage cuts him off, grabbing his coat and yanking him back, turning the boy so they were eye to eye. “What did I say,” The man starts quietly, and Klarion trembles in terror. “About talking to anyone but the Light?” Klarion whimpers. “I’m sorry, sir- I’ll- I’ll never do it again-”

“No, you won’t,” Savage agreed. “Because you’re not going to get the chance.”

“Not the cage, please,” Klarion begged as Vandal dragged him down the corridor. “Oh no, little boy, I have something much worse.” Savage grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That didn't end well. The next chapter will also not begin well.
> 
> Don't worry, though, i'm a sucker for happy endings, it'll just take a while.


	4. Episode 3: Riley Wattson and the Witch's Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team saves Klarion with their new speedster recruit, Zippy is born, and Kaldur apparently isn't the bad guy. Oh, and Klarion joins, but i'm sure you all saw that coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little over 8 pages because I love to go into excessive detail, but here we go.

“Okay, I know I was hesitant at first,” Riley states, striking a pose in the mirror. “But I am _so_ digging the blue.” M’gann laughed. “So, you like the costume?”

 “Fuc- I mean, uh, heckin’ yeah I like the costume,” Riley stumbles over his words. M’gann, ignoring it, claps her hands merrily. “Excellent! I’ll get to work making it with the proper material and such, the one you’re wearing is just cotton and liable to just combust if you try to run in it, not safe, not safe…” The martian rambled on as she flitted about her room, pulling different spools of thread and cloth from different drawers. Riley looked around. “I didn’t know you were so into sewing, Megan,” He said pleasantly. “Oh yeah, I like to sit at my desk and listen to the TV while I make things for everyone, it makes me feel so-” She stopped. “Human?” Riley guessed. M’gann nodded quietly. “Anyways, if you could please get changed back into your normal clothes, I need that suit for the proper measurements for your real one!” She chirped happily, turning on a dime. She can change topics faster than I can, Riley thought with amazement.

 The speedster nodded, letting the lightning engulf him as his body adapted to the sudden change in speed. He felt really weird about changing in front of anyone, especially considering he was technically going commando in the suit- there were built-in panties in the bottom half for any pads he’d need, but that’s it-, but M’gann had reassured him that his secret was safe with her. “If anyone knows what that’s like, it’s me, Riley,” She had said gently, holding the boy’s hands when he told her.

 Together, they had figured out how to make the chest of the suit look flat while not binding the boy’s chest so that while he ran, he could pass without suffering rib and lung damage. Still, he changed behind her, so there was no way she’d see anything through his lightning. He wasn’t ready to be that confident in his body yet, he didn’t want to risk anything.

 “Thanks again, Megan, really,” Riley says, placing the now-folded practice costume on the sewing desk. “No problem- uh- hey, wait, what _is_ your superhero name gonna be?” Riley blinked at that. “Hadn’t thought of it,” He said. “Maybe, like, Swiftfoot, or, uhh… Quickstep?” He shrugs when Megan made a face. “How about a simpler one? We can get Bart to help later, his was a spur-of-the-moment type of thing, and it worked out well.” Riley nodded. “Alright, well, I gotta head home, but thanks so much for the help,” Riley laughs, grabbing his jacket. “Uh, Riley-” He stopped at the door. “Oh, yeah,” The boy said softly. “Home’s just down the hall, now, isn’t it?” He was silent for a moment. M’gann floated up behind him. “I’m sorry,” She said gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. Riley shook his head, clearing himself of the mood. “Nah, it’s fine. Wanna watch a musical or somethin’?” He smiled warmly. M’gann recognized that smile, it was the “I’m-so-not-okay-but-I-really-don’t-want-you-to-worry-so-i’ll-pretend-it-is” smile, one she herself wore often. She didn’t call him out, though. “Yeah, that sounds great! We never finished _Singing in the Rain_ , did we? You can pull out the cushions, I wanna get started on your suit…”

 

\--

 

Klarion sobbed desperately as he fought to stay conscious. “Give it up, Witch Boy,” Savage drawled lazily from the chair next to him. “This spell was made to put gods under, a puny little Lord like you is nothing. Your willpower is remarkable, though,” He smiled evilly, the grin making Klarion’s stomach twist nauseously. “I do always like pets that take a long time to break.” Klarion shuddered. “You’re not- not gonna win,” He said with some difficulty. “Oh, little pet of mine, I already did!” Savage laughed.

 “I have you right where I want you, now, Klarion,” He sang pleasantly. “You’ll stay asleep until I need you for something,” His eyes roamed over Klarion’s body, and the boy fought back another wave of nausea, “And then you’ll go right. Back. Under. Remember, with that ring on your hand, you’re under my control, boy. You can’t do anything unless I permit it.”

 “Go fuck yourself,” Klarion hissed angrily, eyes fighting to stay open. Savage laughed openly. “Ah, I have a much better idea,” He hummed, standing and leaning over Klarion, right as the boy’s eyes finally slid shut. A single spell left his lips before he slipped away into the darkness, hoping to any force that was listening it was enough.

 

\--

 

_Riley, help me!_

 Riley sat up from M’gann’s floor. “What the-”

  _Help me, Riley, please!_ The voice cried again. “Klarion? What’s wrong-” Klarion’s voice rang more desperately, **_Help me_ ** _!_ His voice was practically screaming in Riley’s head, and the boy fell to his knees in pain. “Riley? What’s wrong?” M’gann moves to crouch next to him. “I-I don’t know, but my brother really needs help,” He said gravely. “How fast can you finish that suit?” M’gann stood for a moment, conflicted, until she saw the fiery determination in Riley’s eyes. She recognized that look from Wally whenever he got serious. Understanding the gravity of the situation, M’gann flew quickly over to her desk, holding her hands out and lifting multiple instruments at once with her telekinesis. “Give me ten minutes.”

 When they rushed into the mission room to tell Nightwing, he was not amused. “Okay, so you’re saying that your adopted brother, Klarion the Witch Boy, a wanted criminal, is in trouble and calling to you for help, and you have no idea what he needs help with, but you have to go save him before it’s too late?” Riley nodded quickly. “Okay, there are- there are a _lot_ of problems with that,” Dick sighed. “Firstly, how are we going to find him, even if we did want to help him?” Riley opened his mouth to respond, but Klarion whispered, _i’m in the Light’s base. I can lead you there, just get a map._ Riley grinned. “Got a map?” Nightwing stared at him a moment, narrowing his eyes, before begrudgingly pulling up the global map on the main computer. “I don’t see how this is-” _Abandoned building in Paris, enchanted to not be seen as anything but run down to the naked eye. Way bigger on the inside, maze-like passageways designed to confuse any trespassers._ Klarion informed quickly. “You fucking rock, Klari!” Riley crowed, leaping into the air in excitement. He turned to Nightwing. “I know where the Light’s base is!”

 “I… Wh-” Nightwing sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Riley, we aren’t going to save Klarion. For all we know, it could be a trap. M’gann, are you really just going with this? I mean, Klarion’s in his head, who knows what he’s doing in there. Can you see if you can follow the link back?” M’gann looked down at the ground as she was scolded, before nodding. “I’m sorry, Riley,” She whispered as she raised her hands to his head. “What?! No!” He cried. _No, let her. Let her see._ Klarion whispered, pushing at him, and he relented. “It’s less painful if you relax,” M’gann said quietly. _Yikes. Wonder how she knows that._

 

M’gann entered Riley’s head with little difficulty, and looked around. His mindscape was, frankly, beautiful. In one direction, a large plain stretched out for miles without end, with small, stout trees sprouting sparsely across the land. In the other, the plain raised up to a cliff face, where a large, white tree grew, at least 50 feet tall. Pink blossoms swirled around it and danced with the wind. A swing hung from the branches that reached over the drop, easily reachable if one was willing to jump for it. The sky was grey and dark, with blue lightning crashing across it in huge arcs. It was a strange fusion of peace and chaos.

 Riley and Klarion sat on the swing bench, facing her. Riley looked startled, while Klarion looked annoyed. “Hello, M’gann,” He said. “Where are we? What is this? What the fuck?” Riley questioned quickly, looking around. M’gann and Klarion ignored him. “Hello, Klarion. What are you doing with him?” M’gann said coldly. “I’m not doing anything, I’m asking him for help. If you wanna see the problem, be my guest, but it’s not for the faint of heart.” Klarion scoffed. Disgust wafted off of him, making the blossoms that twirled around him blacken and fall to his feet, dead. “Guys, we’re just hanging over a sharp, deadly drop, are neither of you alarmed by this?” Riley questioned again, voice raising in pitch. M’gann floated forwards and grabbed Klarion’s head, shooting herself through Riley’s mindscape to his, this time not nearly as cautious.

 

 What she found was very disturbing.

 

The mindscape itself was a different version of beautiful, a city at night, lit by bright lamps and neon signs. Crows and cats lounged lazily on trees and benches. The city seemed deserted, but not lonely. Everything was tinted in neon blue, even the sky and moon. The lights were bright yellow, the eyes of the creatures different shades of green and red. Klarion sat on the roof of the highest building, a contraption of metal sitting behind him. It resembled a cat person, tied to a wooden stake. Flames licked the metal, dancing across the frame, only not destroying the rest of the building through the logic of the mindscape. It reminded her of a game Wally had told her about, that she couldn’t remember the name of.

 The disturbing part was what was going on outside Klarion’s head.

 It seemed Klarion himself was conscious of it, as he was curled up into a small ball, his face hidden in his arms, wrapped around his legs. As M’gann approached him, he lifted his head and looked at her with the expression of someone who had simply accepted their horrible fate and now looked at it with a sick sort of amusement. “So,” He laughed coldly. “Do you believe me now?” M’gann couldn’t even speak, too absorbed in the horror. I’m not going to describe what she’s horrified of, but it’s pretty bad, and i’m sure some of you can guess. “I…” She choked back a sob. “I’m so sorry.” Klarion laughed again, a harsh, angry bark. “I don’t really care if you’re _sorry_ ,” He spat. “Just let me back out of here so I don’t have to listen to this anymore.” M’gann nodded.

 

All at once, the mindscape was gone. Riley gasped for breath as he was pulled back to the real world, and Klarion’s presence returned. “So?” Nightwing asked impatiently. M’gann turned to him. “We need to help him.” Nightwing threw up his hands. “Okay! Fine! Fine. I give up. I’ll call the team.” He muttered something about Batman and how rescue missions always got the team in trouble as he pressed the emergency button, starting the alert. Within a minute, the team had arrived in the main room. “Whoa, nice outfit, Riley,” Bumblebee said. “Stylin’.” Riley smiled, but it faded quickly. “What’s up, Nightwing?” Connor asked gruffly, arms crossed. “Alright. So, as you all may know,” Nightwing clapped his hands together. “Klarion and Riley are adopted brothers.” Wonder Girl made a quiet “Ohh!” sound from the back. “Now, it would appear that Klarion is in serious trouble, as proven by M’gann, and both she and Riley have decided that he needs our help. He has, however, given us the coordinates of the Light’s main base, given that this isn’t an elaborate trap.”

 “It’s not,” M’gann stated confidently. “And we need to get moving right now. This is a time-crucial mission, so if you’re done with your complaining, let’s get into teams and deploy, Nightwing.” The team took a collective step back as she turned and growled at Dick. He was silent for a moment before nodding. “I trust you, M’gann.” He turned towards the team. “Blue Beetle, Impulse, Bumblebee, Miss Martian, and Beast Boy, you will accompany me and Riley. The rest of you, prepare to receive the Witch Boy.” Everyone nodded. “Yes, sir!”

 The bioship had to stretch slightly to accommodate the team. “So Riley,” Bart said. “Emergency aside, have you figured out a cool hero name yet?” Riley thought about it, before remembering the mysterious box he had received for his birthday the previous year, labelled “Zippy.”

 “Yeah, uhh, maybe Zippy?” He asked, unsure. Nightwing laughed for a moment before controlling it. “What? What was funny?” Riley challenged, and Nightwing quickly backpedalled. “Nothing, nothing! It’s just that, when this team was first formed, everyone called Kid Flash ‘Zippy.’ It’s funny that you’d actually decide to be called that, is all.” He smiled placatingly. “Well, that settles it. Fuck you, my name is Zippy.” Riley nods, leaning back in his seat. _Nice one,_ Klarion whispers. “Oh sweet baby Jesus, I forgot you were here,” Riley whispered under his breath, and Klarion giggled quietly.

 “We’ve arrived over the building,” Miss Martian informed them. Nightwing stood. “Alright team, here’s the plan. Beast Boy and Bumblebee, you’ll find the best infiltration point. Once you’ve done so, send the directions to me. Zippy, Miss Martian and I will find Klarion, while the rest of you cover us, should we be found. Got it?” Everyone nodded. “Alright, everybody. Go!”

 

\--

 

 _No, no, left,_ Klarion whispers. **Left,** Zippy said over the mind-link. Miss Martian, Nightwing, and Zippy were sneaking through the maze-like hallways of the base, looking for the quarters. _Okay, you’re getting close. Be careful, I don’t know if Savage is still in the room and I really don’t want to go back and find out._ Zippy nodded. _It should be just ahead._ Indeed, a few paces in front of them was a long hallway with three doors. Light was stretching out from under one of them, probably Vandal Savage’s room. Nightwing crept forwards and pressed his ear to the door. **I don’t hear any voices inside,** He informed. **I only pick up one person in the room,** Miss Martian confirmed. **Can you open the door?** As she said this, Nightwing stood. **Can I open the door,** he laughed, raising his arm.

 In minutes, the door was hacked and slid open. Inside, the room was lit by glowing balls dancing about the room, circling the large bed. Resting on said bed was Klarion, who was seemingly only being covered by the blankets. On a desk nearby, an iron cage sat, with Teekl curled inside. “What happened to your clothes?” Zippy whispered. Disgust radiated off of Klarion’s presence before it disappeared from his head for a moment. _Being this close… difficult…_ His voice was a scratchy whisper now, barely distinguishable from a gust of wind. _The balls… break them. It’ll… Free…_ His voice faded away slowly. _Please,_ he whispered, and he was gone. Zippy lowered his head before lifting it and narrowing his eyes. Lightning danced through them. **We’ve gotta break the balls. I’m going in.** he growled. **Zippy, wait!** Nightwing cried, but Zippy had already launched forwards. He dashed through the room, grabbing the fragile balls of light and smashing them against each other, destroying them. As he grabbed the last one and crushed it in his hand, Klarion gasped loudly from the bed and shot up. Teekl yowled from her cage in pain, and Klarion immediately reached over and ripped the iron lock from the door. He gritted his teeth as the metal burnt his hand, but as his cat leapt free of the painful prison and into his arms, he just laughed hysterically. Zippy returned to a normal speed and raised his hands as he stepped forwards, attempting to calm Klarion down. “Hey, bro-bro,” He smiled. “I’m here to save you.” Klarion grabbed him and yanked him down into a hug, laughing brokenly. “My knight in stupid blue armor,” He cried. “Just get me out of here.” He glanced down. “And into some clothes.” Zippy laughed. “Yeah, i’ll be right back.” He shot out of the room, and within seconds, was back with a change of clothes, which Klarion quickly donned, before following him out into the hallway. “Bye-bye, shit room,” He flipped the door off as it closed. “And bye-bye, shit ring.” He yanked the ring off of his finger and threw it down the hallway. Teekl purred satisfyingly from his shoulders, curled comfortably around his neck.

 The happy escape was broken by alarms. Nightwing swore under his breath. **Sorry! We held them off for as long as we could, but one got to the alarms,** Blue Beetle’s voice said sheepishly over the mindlink. **It doesn’t matter, we have the target. Everyone rendezvous on the roof, we’re getting out of here.** Nightwing ordered. “Now, where do you think you’re going?” A gruff voice growled from behind them. Klarion froze. “Pet, how could you just throw away your gift like that?” Vandal asked with mock hurt. Klarion scowled, his expression pure fury. “I’m going to rip you to shreds and tan you with my own fire, then send your flesh and soul right to Gargora to feast on, you disgusting, vile excuse for a man,” He hissed. Vandal Savage laughed as the team slid into defence positions. “Now, now, Klarion, you know not to speak to me that way. If you children are quite done, i’ll let this slide, if you just hand over my pet and leave now.”

 “Never!” Riley shouted angrily. Savage’s eyes landed on him, and the man hummed appreciatively. “Ahh, speedsters always have such fine forms.” Nightwing made an angry, disgusted noise, and leapt forwards, punching the man in the face. **I changed my mind, I hate this guy and i’m glad I listened to you, let’s kick his ass.** The two others nodded in agreement. **I’m linking Klarion up now,** M’gann stated As Vandal snarled in fury and swung at Nightwing. **Hey, can we join the fight too?** Impulse asked. **Sadly, I don’t think this hallway is big enough for the whole baby league to get their hands on him,** Klarion hummed. **Then let’s get him out of the hallway and into the battlefield!** Riley shouted, and dashed forwards. He grabbed the man and yanked him away, speeding through the hallways before chucking him into a wall, right next to Blue Beetle. “Mierda!” Jaime cried in surprise. “Don’t repeat that,” He said to Riley.

 “I’m gonna kick your sorry, disgusting, pedophillic ass,” Zippy growled, lightning once more crackling and building around him. Vandal stood up shakily as the team surrounded him in a semi-circle. “Now, children, you should know by now that magic is no small threat,” Vandal scoffed and raised his hands. “I’ll take that,” Klarion chirped, snapping his fingers. The magic that had built around Vandal’s hands disappeared. “Oh.” The man said. He looked up at the angry teenagers surrounding him, and smiled placatingly. “So,” He began, and the teens lunged.

 

I won’t go into details, but let’s just say he and the rest of the Light that came to his rescue were thoroughly beaten up by some angry, supercharged teenagers. The teens arrested the members, and when Kaldur stepped forwards and smiled at his old friends, only then did Nightwing call Batman.

 

“I cannot _believe_ that you would risk four years of careful planning just to save one person, Nightwing,” Batman said coldly, arms crossed, as the super villains were collared and loaded onto trucks. “What? Me? This wasn’t even-” Dick stopped, and he took a deep breath. “Okay. Yes. I may or may not have jeopardized a very long, well-planned mission. But I didn’t, and we have Vandal Savage and the rest of the Light under arrest and being sent to Belle Rev as we speak, so the black ops mission isn’t needed. So, can we please have Kaldur back on the team?” Batman sighed. “Wait, what?” Miss Martian cries. “Kaldur killed Artemis, and you want him back on the team?” Everyone looks at Kaldur, who looks at Batman, who wonders why on earth people couldn’t just listen to him for once. “Alright. Fine. You want answers? Everyone report back to HQ, and bring Kaldur and Klarion.”

 The team sat in the main lobby of the cave sullenly. Some floated in the air, others leaned against the wall or sat on the ground, but a general air of anger hung over them. They had been left out of an important plan, again. Meanwhile, Klarion sat in the corner, attempting to stay away from the other moody teens. He looked up to find Kaldur, in his old Aqualad suit and not the Black Manta one he was so used to seeing now. “Hello,” He said quietly as Kaldur sat next to him. “Hello,” Kaldur smiled gently back, and Klarion’s heart fluttered painfully.

 “Recognized: Batman, 02. Kid Flash, B-03. Artemis, B-07.” The whole team screamed in shock as Artemis stepped through the zeta tube. “Oh my god,” She gasped as Miss Martian tackled her. “I thought you were dead!” The girl sobbed. “Kaldur killed you!”

 “No, Megan, he didn’t,” Artemis said gently, hugging the distraught girl. “But he did, I saw the whole thing,” She whimpered. Kaldur stood and stepped forwards. “What you saw was an orchestration of our own creation to further a plot. You see, these past years, I have been in the Light’s ranks undercover, looking for a way to pull it apart from the inside.” He turns and looks at Riley considerately. “It appears that this plan, in the end, was not needed.” Riley smiles sheepishly. Kaldur turns to the rest of the team as Artemis and Wally step next to him. “Sorry to keep this from you guys for so long,” Wally rubs the back of his neck with his own sheepish grin. “If the whole team knew, it would have possibly jeopardized the mission, if any of you got captured, so only the four of us knew.”

 “Four?” Connor asks. “Four,” Nightwing confirms, standing next to Wally.

 The team considers this for a long moment. “So, we’ve got Kaldur, who actually isn’t a traitor but a really good actor, back on the team, along with Artemis, who isn’t dead, Klarion, who we thought was evil but was apparently under a spell the whole time or something, and Zippy, the new recruit. Am I missing anyone? Is a tameranian gonna zeta in or something?” Dick and Wally quietly chuckle at this, for a reason nobody else understood. Batman stepped forwards from the side, pulling everyone’s attention back to him. “As of today, you indeed have four new members. Klarion and Zippy, you have yet to be trained. Artemis and Kaldur shall be your sparring opponents, as they are probably out of practice themselves. Klarion, you can stay in one of the spare dorms, and Artemis and Kaldur, you may return to your old rooms. Is everyone clear?” The team nodded, lining up in front of Batman.

 Klarion felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Impulse grinning at him. “Welcome to the team,” The boy said. Klarion smiled shyly, and Nightwing patted Kaldur’s back. “Welcome back to the team. You don’t get your spot as leader back.” Kaldur laughed. “I had not expected to receive it. I always knew you would take over one day, Nightwing.” He placed his hand on Dick’s shoulder.

 

And just like that, the team was reunited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, before anyone charges into the comments with "didn't Kaldur blow up mount justice??" and "did you seriously just throw out the entire plot of the second season in order to weave your own story?" no, he didn't, and yes, i absolutely am, because let's face it, Invasion wasn't even handled THAT WELL in the first place, so fuck it.
> 
> Also, sorry if some of this read kind of rough, especially towards the beginning, i've been sick the past week or so, so my writing hasn't been the best.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy.


End file.
